Eternal Summer
by MelancholyofAngel
Summary: It was a summer day when their friendship began. It was a summer day when their love was realized. It was a summer day when it all came crashing down.
1. Chapter 1

Once upon a time, there were two families: the rich, golden Heartfilia Clan and the poor, but fiery Dragneels. They were very different, in status and way of life. The Heartfilia Estate sat snug on the top of a large, grand hill. The mansion was ginormous and almost as beautiful as the lady of the house, Layla Heartfilia. Marble and magnificent, it was truly a sight to see. It was the exact opposite of the misshapen hovel that the Dragneels lived in.

The house sat the end of a long spindly road a little way away from the Heartfilia Estate. A huge oak tree leaned against the fragile home for support. There were two floors, and the second one looked as if it had been stacked on top of the first by a monkey. It leaned quite a bit to the left, and the door was half way broken. However, the Dragneels loved it just the same. Sadly, that couldn't be said for the Heartfilias; it never seemed enough to Jude, the master of the house. He wanted more. And in the end, that ultimately lead to his demise.

After seven years of living completely differently, the two families never interacted. That was, until the day two joyful bundles were born. Their names were Natsu Dragneel, a laughing babe with unruly pink fuzz and dark onyx orbs, and Lucy Heartfilia, an observant infant with wide brown eyes and wisps of thin blonde hair. From that moment on, the two families' fates were intertwined.

It was a sunny, cloudless summer day, perfect for a family outing. The Heartfilias, ever prim and proper, took a carriage to a nearby park. The Dragneels, however, decided that walking was the best way to go. Carrying a big, rather intimidating picnic basket, the family of three settled down under a tree. Little Natsu was celebrating his third birthday, and his parents, Igneel and Grandine, were absolutely ecstatic. Grandine began to unpack the food, and Natsu grinned in anticipation and joy. He clapped enthusiastically, and Igneel chuckled at his son's antics. It was at that time, that the Heartfilias arrived.

The butler, a tall, well-groomed man, opened the carriage doors and the rich family stepped off. Igneel scoffed, rolling his eyes a little. _Damn rich snobs, _he thought. He never like those pompous fools who paraded around thinking they were better than everyone else.

Jude regarded the area for a moment, and then his dark eyes found the Dragneel family. He scanned them over for a second, before deciding that it would be best to ignore them. After all, they weren't doing anything wrong. _Yet._

Despite her husband's demeanor, Lady Layla smiled, and the whole world seemed a little brighter. She was always a warm, kind-hearted soul. Two year old Lucy clung to her mother, and even though she was still very young, their resemblance to each other was striking.

The butler quickly made his way to set up a small round table, three chairs, and a fine lunch consisting of well-done steak and chocolate strawberry cake for his master and mistresses. The meal was topped off with a gorgeous yellow rose with crimson tips.

Silence filled the park for a few moments, before Igneel and Grandine began a conversation, talking about adding another room in their home. Layla, Jude, and Lucy began to eat, quietly exchanging polite words. All was peaceful, until Igneel and Grandine were too busy conversing to notice that their little birthday boy was sneaking off, heading straight for the Heartfilias.

**Author's Note: I'm going to start a multi-chapter story, not a one-shot like my other stories. Do you guys know what a yellow rose with red tips means? Heehee. **

**I'll try and update soon. Thanks for reading! **


	2. Chapter 2

"—possible? Come on, Jude, don't you think Lucy should socialize with other children her age?" Layla Heartfilia inquired to her husband, completely unaware that a little pink torpedo was speeding towards them.

"No, absolutely not," Jude replied, his words as solid as firm as his eyes. "Lucy is at a critical age; she should be at home, protected and raised in a good environment. Other children could be bad influences on her!"

"Jude, she's _two," _Layla clucked, chuckling a bit at her husband's overprotective behavior. Little Lucy sat eating her strawberry cake, completely oblivious to the conversation.

The girl really loved strawberry, and she savored every bit of the cake. But suddenly, the little blonde began bawling. Layla and Jude immediately snapped their gazes to their precious daughter. She didn't look like she was hurt, bruise and scratch-free. So what was the problem?

"All gone, Mommy, Daddy!" Lucy sobbed; her sweet face scrunched up and twisted.

"What's gone, Sweetie?" Layla asked worriedly. What was her daughter talking about?

"Cake! Cake!" She cried, burying her face in her hands. Her precious strawberry cake was gone, and her parents didn't understand!

"But, didn't you finish it, Lucy?" Jude questioned curiously.

"Boy took it!" His daughter exclaimed, pointing a small, chubby finger at a pink blur running away… All the way to the peaceful couple who were dosing off near the fountain.

"Halt, young man!" Jude called to the pink blur (which he had identified as a boy with unusual hair), eyes steely. "That is my daughter's cake you're stealing!"

The boy stopped for a minute, before turning around and blowing a raspberry at the older man. He took off again, quick as lightning. Extremely angered at the rude action, Jude lost all composure and began to chase after the little rascal. Hearing the commotion, Igneel stood, finally noticing that his son was gone. He turned and saw Natsu barreling towards him holding a plate with a beautiful cake resting upon it (though there was a small bite taken out of it already), with that noble man running after him.

"Stop, you brat!" Jude yelled, face flushed red from running and anger.

"That's my son that you're calling 'brat'!" Igneel snarled, muscles tensing. Natsu hid behind his father, clinging to his pant leg.

"Igneel, calm down," Grandine sighed, putting her hand on her husband's shoulder.

And that was when Layla decided to make an appearance. She was always of frail health, easily sick and fragile. It had almost killed her to give birth to Lucy, but it was one of the best things that had happened to her. It took most of energy to run half the length Jude did, so when she finally joined the group, she looked ready to faint from exhaustion. Lucy was trailing closely behind, but faltered, a little scared at the unfamiliar man with scarlet hair and intimidating, black eyes. However, she gathered her courage and approached, though no one noticed except for Natsu.

"Your son stole something of my daughter's and I would like to have it back!" Jude said, putting on his business voice. He only used it when he was serious or ready to fight.

"Natsu, dear, is this true?" Grandine asked, looking disbelievingly at her angel. He shook his head, and when his mother turned her head away, he blew another raspberry at Jude. "Well, he says that didn't steal anything."

"Are you blind? He's holding the stolen cake!"

"Wait a second…. This is about _cake? _You rich folk have everything, and yet you come all the way here to bother us just to get back a slice of strawberry cake?" Igneel inquired, with eyes wide in disbelief.

"That's not just any cake, that's my daughter's!" The squabble continued, and Natsu began to sneak away. Lucy noticed however, and decided to follow him. Stealthily, of course. But being two years old meant that her idea of 'stealthily' was stomping around without her shoes, as if that made a difference.

**Author's Note: Okay, second chapter! I know, these two chapters were pretty bad. Actually, all my writing is pretty bad lately. I'm just a little sleep deprived, is all. But don't worry; my writing will get better soon (hopefully)! Promise (and I take my promises very seriously)! Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

Apparently, three year old Natsu had incredible stamina. Lucy was sure she had been following him for at _least_ an hour! Finally, she gave up on following him and fell back, panting. The pink haired boy turned and smirked at her.

"So, you decided to give up, huh?" He stated, holding the cake victoriously.

"Give…. Me…. Cake!" Lucy growled between pants, glaring up at him. Though she was trying her best to look as ferocious as a tiger, she looked more like an angry kitten.

Natsu just chuckled and stabbed the cake, before putting the fork to his mouth. It was then that something in Lucy snapped. It was _her _cake, darn it! She tackled him to the ground, repeatedly hitting him in the chest with her tiny fists. The plate miraculously landed on the ground unharmed with the cake as delicious as ever.

"Hey! Ouch, quit pulling on my hai—OW!" Natsu was completely unprepared for the assault, and they wrestled in the grass. "Okay, okay! Have mercy!"

The blonde sat on top of him, on chubby hand pulling on his pink spiky locks, the other reaching for her precious cake. She finished it off with quick, precise, lady-like bites, and then stared down at him triumphantly. The little girl was a smart cookie, and knew exactly how to get what she wanted.

"What is your name?" She inquired slowly, carefully sounding out the vowels.

Her parents had assigned her a tutor to teach her how to speak properly, because she had minor problems with annunciating. Now, she could speak very clearly and hold conversations fairly well, for a two year old at least. It unnerved the boy, yet he ignored it.

"Natsu," He replied simply. "Now can you get off of me?"

Lucy complied, and they sat next in the grass, regaining their bearings. The emerald blades tickled their skin in an annoying, yet comforting way. A warm breeze swept by, ruffling their hair. She snuck glances at Natsu every five seconds, thinking that he didn't notice, until he finally got annoyed and faced her.

"Well, what's _your _name?" He asked, crossing his arms.

"Lucy!" She beamed. He noticed that she looked a lot prettier when she smiled.

"Lucy…." He repeated, liking the sound of her name. He grinned at her. "Well, _Lucy,_ sorry I stole your cake."

"I forgive you," She answered solemnly, before adding, "But if you do that again, I will sit on you."

**Author's Note: Hey guys! Sorry I haven't updated in a while, and this chapter is so short! I've been really busy, but I'll try and post more soon! Thanks for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

_"—WHAT?!"_

"Calm down, Jude!" Layla sighed, trying to soothe her husband. "Your conflicts with Mr. Dragneel should not influence the people Lucy wants to be friends with. If she likes Natsu, then so be it."

"My daughter shall not interact with people like _them!" _Jude protested, anger blazing in his eyes.

"Jude, we are all human. Everyone is equal, and everyone deserves a second chance. It's Lucy's choice whether or not she will continue to be with Natsu or not."

"But—"A scowl from his wife silenced him. Layla was normally a kind, sweet lady who was almost always smiling. A scowl meant that he was entering dangerous territory. She was the only person who could control him and keep his prejudice at bay.

If only she hadn't left this world, her husband wouldn't have been consumed by hatred and her precious little daughter could have had a happy, free life.

_Two years later….._

Lucy was now the age of four, and as happy as a child could be. She had two loving parents, a house full of people who cared for her, all the toys she wanted, and of course, she had Natsu. Ever since that fated summer day, the two had been almost inseparable. Although their parents didn't know it, Natsu would sneak in through the window of the Heartfilia Manor in the dead of night just so that he could hear Lucy read him a bedtime story.

And during the day, they were together at preschool. It had taken some time, but Jude finally consented to letting Lucy go. There, Lucy met Natsu's other friends: Gray, Erza, Loke, Lisanna, Gajeel, Levy, and so on. Preschool was a magical place for the young blonde, and she found adventures every day (though she did get into trouble a lot) with Natsu, Erza, Gray, and of course Happy, Natsu's blue cat who was technically not allowed on school grounds but they brought him anyway.

"Miss Lucy?" 'Aunt' Spetto, one of the Heartfilia servants, murmured, shaking the girl's shoulder. "Miss Lucy, time to wake up."

Big, doe-like brown eyes opened, and the four year old yawned, stretching. Aunt Spetto smiled motherly at Lucy, and went to her closet, picking out an adorable pink dress complete with a white bow around the waist, and sparkly salmon-colored flats. Lucy quickly changed while Aunt Spetto got her small school bag, and the pair headed down to the dining room, where the Master and Mistress of the house were sitting, quietly eating their breakfast.

Being the young lady she was, Lucy scarfed down the food as fast and cleanly as she could, bid her mother and father farewell with a quick kiss on the cheek, and took off out the large front doors where the carriage was waiting for her. She could hardly contain her excitement and bounced on the carriage seat, a huge grin spreading on her face. Today was show-and-tell!

Finally, the carriage stopped in front of the preschool. Before the butler could even get out of his seat, Lucy was streaking towards the doors, yelling a quick 'thank you' behind her shoulder as she hurried into the building. The rest of the gang was waiting for her, and she was greeted by enthusiastic cries. However, Natsu was not present.

"Hello Lucy! What did you bring for show-and-tell?" Erza asked, smiling warmly.

"My constellations book! There are lots of pictures!" Lucy chirped, beaming. Gajeel scoffed and muttered 'lame' to Gray, earning a pout from the blonde. "You shouldn't be talking! You're the only kid in the entire school with a nose piercing!"

He reddened slightly and fell silent, as Gray and Loke laughed at him.

"Where's Natsu?" Lucy questioned, looking around as though they were hiding him from her.

"Oh, he said that he had to prepare something for his show-and-tell," Lisanna answered, tucking a strand of her short silver hair behind her ear.

Just then, the bell rang and the preschoolers entered their classroom. The children were shocked to see Natsu standing in the front of the class, grinning like the idiot he was, with a huge thing covered in a tablecloth looming behind him. The teacher, Mr. Macao, pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation, muttering under his breath: "I don't get paid enough for this."

"Okay, class. Since Mr. Dragneel was so _eager_, we'll start off today with show-and-tell!"

**Author's Note: Yay, new chapter! Sorry, I keep forgetting to update! Anyway, can you guys guess what Natsu brought? Heehee! Thanks for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

"Ooh, Natsu, what is it?"

"This can't be good,"

"C'mon, Natsu, what'd ya bring?"

"If it involves you getting seriously maimed, I'm all for it,"

The classroom was filled with the obnoxious chatter of little four and five year olds. Mr. Macao, who was too busy looking up swimsuit models, decided to wait until the classroom settled down before he allowed Natsu to present. Hopefully the class never quieted, so that he wouldn't have to endure the horror of seeing what was under the tablecloth.

"QUIET DOWN!" Erza, who Macao decided was a wolf in sheep's clothing, screamed at her fellow classmates. Macao couldn't quite decide who was scarier: Erza, or Mirajane, and they were only _five._

However, the kids were too excited to listen to the redhead, and that was when…..

"DID YOU NOT JUST HEAR WHAT SHE SAID? SHUT UP!"

Macao decided that an angry Lucy was definitely on par with the other two she-devils. He wondered why the blonde was so upset, because the classroom was normally this loud. He guessed it was because Natsu hadn't been paying her enough attention lately. The two were practically joined at the hip ever since he saw them walk into class together.

"Do you guys want to see what I brought?" Natsu grinned maniacally.

"Yes!" The rest of the kids responded.

"Do you _really _want to?"

"Yes!"

"Do you really, really, reall—"

"Get on with it, Pyro," Gray sighed, only to look down and see he was only in his boxers. He quickly scurried away to find his missing pants and shirt.

"Okay, ladies and losers, I present to you, the fire _dragon, _Igneel!" Natsu yelled, and ripped the tablecloth off the 'dragon', and revealed a tall, middle aged man with piercing coal black eyes….. Wearing a Halloween costume.

"Rawr," Igneel said lamely, and all the excitement that had been buzzing in the room went down the drain.

"What the f—"Gajeel started, only to be cut off by a glare from Levy. "Uh, I mean, what the heck?"

"Natsu….." Lucy began hesitantly. "Why is your dad dressed up in a dragon suit and covered in duct tape?"

"I thought it was obvious!" The pink-haired boy cried. "He's my show-and-tell!"

Lucy facepalmed, and opened her mouth to explain that a person was not something to bring to show-and-tell, but stopped herself and exhaled exasperatedly. Only her best friend could think of something so idiotic. There was no point in arguing with him.

But maybe that was why she lov—_liked _him.

**Author's Note: Hey guys! Sorry for the late updates and short chapters. School's been pretty hectic lately and I'm so tired! Despite that, I'll still be updating! Thanks for reading!**


	6. Chapter 6

"Hurry up, Luigi!"

"It's _Lucy!" _

Natsu grabbed the blonde's hand and dragged her off, ignoring her blushing face. Their class was on a field trip to the Fiore Gardens, a beautiful park where the kindergarteners could study wildlife. Natsu being Natsu, had gotten bored after five minutes of their tour guide droning on about butterflies, so he had kidnapped Lucy to go exploring with him.

He'd heard rumors of a giant maze in Fiore Gardens, but it was incredibly hard to find. Very few people had ever found it, and even fewer had made it to the center. Natsu was determined to find it, after all, there could be treasure waiting in the middle! Or better yet, it could be _food!_

"Natsu, we are not supposed to be away from the grou—"Lucy protested, tugging her hand out of his grasp.

"Stop being such a worry wart, Luce!" He flashed her his signature grin.

"Oh, alright," She muttered, pouting cutely. Being a four year old, she didn't understand why she had given into his request so easily. If only she knew…

The pair passed by rare and exotic flowers of all shapes, colors, and sizes. Natsu suddenly began to laugh and Lucy glanced at him curiously. Sensing her confusion, he pointed at a large, bulbous flower that leaked some kind of yellow fluid.

"It looks like Gray!" He guffawed, and she reprimanded him, saying that it was very mean. But that didn't stop her from laughing a bit herself.

Their flower viewing continued on their quest to find the maze, and slowly they devised a game: Which flower fits which one of their classmates? Lucy decided that the bulbous flower from before wouldn't work, and noticed a patch of blue flowers nestled between some red poppies and yellow roses. They looked almost as if they were made of ice, yet the petals were sharp and intimidating. A lot like Gray. Grudgingly, Natsu agreed that it was more like his stipper frenemy than the first flower he had pointed out.

"Ooh, and that one's Lisanna!"

"Nuh uh, that one is!"

"Natsu, that is not like Lisanna! It's the ugliest color I've ever seen!"

Before they knew it, an hour had passed. Their game had sluggishly ceased, and they walked in comfortable silence. Or at least, it was comfortable for Natsu. Lucy, however, was not used to her best friend being so quiet, and it struck her as extremely strange.

"Hey, Natsu! That one reminds me of you!"

It was a fire lily, a blooming flower with crimson petals that looked like the tongues of flames. He grinned toothily at her, making her blush faintly. Why did he have to be so darned adorable?

"Which flower am I?" Lucy inquired brushing off her embarrassment.

She only asked to break the silence. In reality, she was unsure of whether she wanted him to answer or not. What if he said she was a thistle or some other weed?

"Hm…. That one!" She followed his gaze, all the way to…..

"Those? But they are weird looking!" Lucy sighed, her little four-year old heart sinking.

"No, they're just….. Different!" He defended, crossing his arms. "And I think they're pretty!"

She blushed yet again, because whether he realized it or not, he had indirectly called her 'pretty'. The flowers were white egret orchids. The tips of the petals were fringed, giving the flower an uncanny resemblance to feathers. It…. It resembled a small white bird. Perhaps a dove.

"Why that one?" She asked, tilting her head in confusion.

"U-um…." He stuttered, and turned his head. Lucy peered at him curiously. Was he _blushing?_ "B-Because—"

He was interrupted by a shadow falling upon them. For in front of them, loomed a giant hedge, the entrance to the maze.

** Author's Note: Yay! New update! This was definitely a weird chapter, and I wrote it on a sugar high, so yeah. Thanks for reading!**


	7. Chapter 7

"Come on, Luce, let's go in!" Natsu exclaimed, onyx eyes sparkling with excitement.

"I don't know…." Lucy began, but was cut off as Natsu once again grabbed her by the wrist and hauled her into the maze.

She pouted and pulled her hand out of his grasp, putting her small hands on her hips in frustration. Before they knew it, they were bickering like an old married couple. In fact, they were too busy squabbling to notice that the entrance closed up behind them.

Since the pair was evenly matched in stubbornness, Natsu had to rely on his physical strength to win the argument. He simply picked her up, threw her over his shoulder, and started to run, laughing hysterically as she screamed tearfully for him to let her down. A few moments later, they came across a difficult decision: Left, or right? Before Lucy could consider the options, Natsu had already blindly ran left, the grin never leaving his face.

Soon enough, the sky turned dark, and Lucy guessed that the others were worried and looking for them by now. Natsu however, remained as horribly oblivious as always and kept running. He'd let her down a while ago, but kept a firm grip on her delicate hand.

"N-Natsu, we're l-lost," She whispered, frowning as tears began to pool in her large brown eyes. She had always been scared of the dark.

"Don't worry," He replied back simply, and she wasn't sure if he was still grinning because it was so dark she couldn't see his face.

"What if something gets us?" She cried fearfully, tugging at his scarf. "Can we go back?"

"I said don't worry," Natsu answered again. "I'll protect you." For once, Lucy was glad it was dark so he couldn't see her blushing face.

All of a sudden, her pink-haired best friend stopped in his tracks. She didn't know why, and she couldn't see what was in front of him, but she remained silent. Suddenly, his grip loosened on her hand.

"N-Natsu?" She squeaked quietly, shivering. His silence was unnerving.

"Luce, there's a door here!" He cheered, and she breathed a sigh of relief. "This must be the middle!"

Natsu turned the doorknob, and the door creaked open. Lucy clutched his arm for dear life, her terrified face illuminated by the faint rays of the setting sun. They entered and found themselves in a large circular clearing, with a wooden chest in the middle. It was surrounded by lanterns, and Lucy's face relaxed slightly.

"S-Should we o-open it?" Lucy asked tentatively, looking at her best friend quizzically.

"Yeah!" He responded as if it were obvious.

What if it was a trap? What if there was a human skull inside? Or a bloody lung? Lucy's mind was racing with horrifying possibilities, as they approached the chest. Natsu slowly opened it and…. Laughed. Not your regular chuckle, but an all-out _screech_ that made Lucy cringe. Tears of mirth streamed down Natsu's face, and he fell to the ground, rolling on the floor in a fit of guffaws.

"HAHA—Oh my god—HAHAHAHA—Luce—Take a—Look! HAHAHAHA!" He told her in between laughs.

Hesitantly, she looked into the chest and saw…..

_*Drumroll please!*_

….. A picture of a man picking his nose.

Lucy facepalmed and sighed in exasperation, glancing at Natsu who was _still _laughing. Of course, only he would find something like this hilarious. It was immature and stupid, but looking at him rolling in the grass, she had to laugh too.

What. An. Idiot.

**Author's Note: Random chapter, but it was pretty fun to write. Huge thanks for all of you who reviewed this story! I really love Natsu and Lucy, and I hope they're not OOC. I'll include more of the other characters soon, 'kay? Thanks for reading!**


	8. Chapter 8

"Princess, why is there a picture of a man picking his nose in your drawer?"

"Ah! That's nothing! My best friend was just being…. Well, he was just being himself!" Lucy cried, grabbing the picture from her new maid's hands and shoving it back into her drawer. Virgo, the new maid, simply looked at her with those passive, unemotional blue eyes.

It had been two years since that incident with the maze, yet for some reason, the blonde kept the picture, simply because Natsu told her to. He thought that it could cheer her up when she was down, and though Lucy doubted it, she kept it anyway. She was eternally thankful that her father hadn't found it. If he had discovered it, there would have been trouble. Big trouble.

"Virgo, please don't tell my father! He won't let me speak to Natsu ever again!" The young heiress begged.

"Understood, Princess," Virgo responded robotically, and Lucy had an inkling suspicion that her secret was safe with the pink-haired servant.

"Thank you! Now, what should I wear? They will be here any moment for our tea party!" Lucy murmured, glancing at Virgo, who remained stoic as always as she studied the three dresses laid out.

"The blue one, Princess," She said finally, giving her young mistress a hint of a smile. "If you wore the white one, it could get stained. Also, the yellow is too long for such an occasion."

"Hm… I agree. Thanks again," Lucy grinned, which was unlike her, since she normally just _smiled. _A grin was far too boyish for such a dainty, ladylike young maiden. Natsu was rubbing off on her.

With delicate porcelain hands, she carefully picked up the blue sundress and changed into it happily. Her friends were coming over for tea, so she had to look her best! She let Virgo brush her hair until it was smooth as silk and glinted as if they were strands of precious gold. Clumsily, the young girl tied a bunch of her locks with a light blue ribbon. And last, she put on some lace white gloves that made her feel very grown up. There, she was perfect!

"Thank you, Virgo, you can go," Lucy dismissed her maid sweetly just as two loud knocks were heard. "Heehee! For once, no boys stinking up the place with their filth!"

Virgo opened the door for their visitors, and then departed swiftly. In bounded a group of girls (Erza, Lisanna, Mirajane, Levy, and Juvia) around Lucy's age all wearing ladylike white gloves and nice dresses and skirts. They chattered aimlessly for a moment, commenting on how pretty they all looked. Though, Erza was a bit awkward, unused to all the girly-ness that was practically oozing out of the room.

"Shall we head to the gardens?" Lucy inquired, trying her very best to act mature and composed.

"Yes, we shall," Her friends chorused enthusiastically. And one by one, they exited the room with their backs straight and heads held high.

Once they had reached the magnificent Heartfilia garden, they were met by Lucy's mother, Layla, who held a tray of small, neatly cut sandwiches, little sugar cookies and biscuits, and tea set. They marveled at how beautiful everything was set up, and sat down as elegantly as they could on overly designed white garden chairs.

"Did you hear what Natsu did?"

"Oh please, Levy, _everyone _knows what Natsu does! He's practically famous!"

"I can't believe he actually put bubblegum in the principal's hair, though!"

"Yeah, it's out there, even for Natsu!"

"Ooh, guys! Laki told me yesterday that Gajeel…."

"I'm so glad this is a girls-only party!"

They blathered happily, munching on cookies and sandwiches and slurping down tea. All manners had been temporarily forgotten, as they scarfed down the food with gusto. Layla watched contently and chuckled. Her daughter was having fun, and that was all that mattered to her.

But suddenly, their conversation was stopped abruptly, when a pink haired boy stumbled out of a tree with a sheepish grin on his face.


	9. Chapter 9

Apparently, Natsu's new favorite word was "um", as the girls' eyes bored into his. Girls were freakin' scary sometimes!

"Natsu," Erza began, darkly. The pink haired boy's animal instincts were telling him that he'd better run. Bad juju was up ahead. "What the heck are you doing here?!"

"Well, I was, um… I was…. Um…. Uh…. Um…" He stuttered, shivering at the sight of Erza's clenched fists.

"_Yes?"_

"GraybetmetwentyjewelsthatIdidn'thavethegutstocras hyourparty!" Natsu cried hurriedly, before hiding his face with his arms. "Not the face! Not the face!"

"Oh? So is Gray here too?" She inquired dangerously, scrutinizing at the boy.

"Gray-sama is here?!" Juvia exclaimed, nearly tripping over herself as she pushed away from the chair and stood up. With flushed pink cheeks, she quickly tried to brush off invisible dirt from her dress.

"Yeah, he's in the bushe—"Natsu started, only to realize that his greatest rival had fled the scene already.

"Really? I don't see him," Erza growled, cracking her knuckles (which was not very ladylike, Lucy noted). "Don't lie to me, Natsu."

"Girls, what's a good punishment for _it?" _Mirajane asked, turning to her companions. Revenge is sweet, and Mirajane _love_s sweet.

"I have a very good idea," Lucy chimed in, smirking (which was something Gajeel taught her how to do).

"Darn it, Gray!" He squealed, trying to wriggle out of Erza's steely grip, but to no avail. In a last effort, he slipped out of his shirt and began running away.

"_Natsu!"_ The girls thundered, all rising from their seats to chase the now shirtless boy.

"Oh, my," Layla chuckled, hiding her amused smile behind her dainty hands.

And it was at that time that Jude Heartfilia decided to make an entrance. With a swagger that only business men could muster, he stiffly walked over to where his wife sat with six other unoccupied chairs. He glanced at Layla sternly, a dark look crossing his features.

"What happened?" He asked, scowling as usual. He'd heard a yell coming from outside, and had taken a break from his study to investigate.

"Nothing, nothing," She answered with a hint of warning. If her husband got involved, it would mean that all of her precious daughter's friends would be banned from the Heartfilia Estate.

"Is that so?" Jude replied suspiciously, raising a thick blonde eyebrow.

"Yes, don't worry so much, Jude. Relax a bit, why don't we go have tea together and—"But she never got to finish.

"WHAT IS THAT PINK HAIRED SCOUNDREL DOING RUNNING AROUND OUR PROPERTY?" He roared, pointing an angry finger at the pink blur that was running past the roses. "AND WHY IS HE HALF-NAKED?"

"W-Well…." Layla was at a loss for words, wincing at her husband's loud voice. She loved him, but he could be such a pain sometimes.

Before she could come up with an appropriate answer, Jude was already halfway to the group of children who were too busy squabbling to notice. She tried to call him back, reaching for his arm, but he only brushed her aside. He had always been blinded by his misguided emotions, and now his grudge with the Dragneel's was going to end in upsetting consequences.

With a heavy heart, Layla prayed for her daughter's friends as the blonde man stormed towards them, face darkened with rage.

* * *

**Author's Note: Sorry about all the short chapters and disappointments, everyone! What can I say? I'm human, I'm lazy! I appreciate all of you who have taken time to read this story, and all those who have reviewed. I love you guys! Heehee! **

** Oh yeah, one more thing: I'll be going on vacation soon, so I won't be updating for the month of August (most likely). So don't expect much! I'll (hopefully) update a lot before I leave, though. **

** Thanks for reading!**


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